“You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” –   MK 8: 33

 

The Sacred Scriptures, the Word and Good News from God, centers around the status of our Faith today.  Is our Faith dead or alive?  What do we truly believe and how do we live it?

 

St James asks us today if we are all talk and no action?  If we really believe all that God has shared with us, not just the Words, but the gifts of life itself, then we should want to live that way.  For many of us, we do have a strong Faith, trusting in God.  Having Hope in Him and desiring Everlasting Life with Him.  We even Love the Lord God and, for the most part, treat our neighbors like ourselves for the Love of God.  But as we have heard from the Daily Scripture Readings all week, we are called to look at ourselves more intently and desire to grow deeper and stronger in all three of the Theological Virtues.  We are even called to pass these gifts on to the next generation to live by realizing that it isn’t easy.

 

We hear the prophet Isiah tell us in the First Reading that we should expect to be opposed and put to shame for our Faith, Hope and Love for God.  Just like the early members of the Catholic Faith, we shouldn’t worry about it but live it.  Knowing that the Lord God is by our side.  Envision this.  Just as we may be persecuted for the sake of trusting in God, we should feel a presence of Peace around us, knowing that God is with us, and He will never deny us.  Even if we fall into distress and affliction, if we but call upon Him, He will save us from the pain and suffering in this life.

 

However, as St James rightly points out, if our Faith is all talk and no action, it is dead.  This is why Jesus tells St Peter and all of us, His disciples, that we cannot think as humans only but as children of God.  Life is not all sunshine and rainbows.  This life is in the world of Satan, and we are called to put this life behind us if we want to desire Everlasting Life.  Not when it is convenient but all the time.  We know that just like Jesus, we are going to suffer at times in this life and will die.

 

However, if we want to share in the victory of the Lord Jesus, then we must also take up our cross and follow where He leads us. What is the "cross" that we must take up each day? How about when our will crosses and does not align with God's Will?  It is God’s Will that must be done, or our Faith is dead and not alive. To know Jesus Christ is to know the power of His victory on the cross where He defeated sin and conquered death through His resurrection. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, gives each of us the gifts and strength we need to live as Sons and Daughters of God. Take time today to go back and reread our Readings from Mass.  The Holy Spirit gives us the insight to know and trust in the Lord Jesus personally as our Redeemer, the power to live the Gospel faithfully, and the courage to witness to others the Joy, Truth, and Freedom of the Gospel. Let our actions show those around us every day how we are growing, that we are alive with works of Faith, Hope and Love.  Pass it on and do not be afraid!!

 

"Lord Jesus, I believe, and I profess that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Take my life, my will, and all that I have, that I may be wholly yours now and forever."

 

May God’s Grace and Blessings Always be with you and yours!!  Our Lady of Guadalupe – Pray for us!!  

 

Yours in Christ,

Deacon Bob

St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church

Houston, TX